*Note* This scheduling program was not designed by folks who do a lot with APA Style and unfortunately it defaults to listing authors in alphabetical order. We cannot fix this for this online schedule, but the author orders are posted in the order submitted in the printed program available via pdf here.
An overwhelming number of negative images and stereotypical perceptions of Black girls and women plague today’s society, illustrating historical patterns of existing racism and sexism imbedded in the general culture (Evans-Winter & Esposito, 2010; hooks, 1981). In this paper we acknowledge how Black girls are often subsumed into the category of ‘Black’, with an emphasis on the experiences of Black boys and are therefore left with no specific or autonomous recognition. As such, their particular conditions are silenced and ignored. While we aim to compliment the on-going research and movements to improve educational outcomes for boys and men of color, we highlight historical and current social conditions that negatively impact school-age Black girls, such as harsh disciplinary practices and experiences of sexual objectification and violence. As Black female scholars (faculty and students) in education and psychology, we feel both personal passion and responsibility to acknowledge that Black girls suffer both similarly and differently than Black boys and therefore must be given specific voice. We also discuss how White privilege and patriarchal male privilege are part of this obfuscation of the needs of Black girls. Utilizing an intersectional approach, critical race feminism, and Black feminist literature, we shed light on gender and race simultaneously, while seeking to dismantle faulty perceptions that Black girls and women carry inherent strength without substantial sadness. “The Super Girl Dichotomy,” provides a metaphor that illustrates dual social features resulting in experiences of both strength and sadness in identity development, self-understanding, and educational endeavors. Presenting a new conceptual framework relevant to sadness in Black girlhood, we address how dangerous myths linking a non-feminine form of strength with an emasculated illustration of high self-esteem (Buckley & Carter, 2005; Fordham, 1993; 1996) can have a damaging impact on educational experiences, identity development, and sense of self in Black girlhood. In responding directly to a recent call to action for educational equity (Austin, 1995; Evans-Winter & Esposito, 2010; Sharp, 2014), we provide links between historical and current social conditions and offer specific recommendations for future girl empowerment programming and evidence-based intervention development that can aide in liberating Black girls.